Gummy Bears after your workout?

I was reading this months M&F and in one article is actually suggested to eat a handful (30 or so) of Gummy Bears after your workout. I get the idea behind it: the sugar/carbs are the best thing for recovery and fuel for muscle synthesis but is refined sugar really a good option? Of course, it says to get your protein too obviously. I've always opted for lean protein and complex carbs like oats or wheat berries but should I start tossing some sugar also? Any ideas on better options than refined candy? Beets/carrots/high GI fruit?

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I was reading this months M&F and in one article is actually suggested to eat a handful (30 or so) of Gummy Bears after your workout. I get the idea behind it: the sugar/carbs are the best thing for recovery and fuel for muscle synthesis but is refined sugar really a good option? Of course, it says to get your protein too obviously. I've always opted for lean protein and complex carbs like oats or wheat berries but should I start tossing some sugar also? Any ideas on better options than refined candy? Beets/carrots/high GI fruit?

The postexercise "anabolic window" is a highly misused & abused concept. Preworkout nutrition all but cancels the urgency, unless you're an endurance athlete with multiple glycogen-depleting events in a single day. Getting down to brass tacks, a relatively recent study (Power et al. 2009) showed that a 45g dose of whey protein isolate takes appx 50 minutes to cause blood AA levels to peak. Resulting insulin levels, which peaked at 40 minutes after ingestion, remained at elevations known to max out the inhibition of muscle protein breakdown (15-30 mU/L) for 120 minutes after ingestion. This dose takes 3 hours for insulin & AA levels to return to baseline from the point of ingestion. The inclusion of carbs to this dose would cause AA & insulin levels to peak higher & stay elevated above baseline even longer.

So much for the anabolic peephole & the urgency to down AAs during your weight training workout; they are already seeping into circulation (& will continue to do so after your training bout is done). Even in the event that a preworkout meal is skipped, the anabolic effect of the postworkout meal is increased as a supercompensatory response (Deldicque et al, 2010). Moving on, another recent study (Staples et al, 2010) found that a substantial dose of carbohydrate (50g maltodextrin) added to 25g whey protein was unable to further increase postexercise net muscle protein balance compared to the protein dose without carbs. Again, this is not to say that adding carbs at this point is counterproductive, but it certainly doesn't support the idea that you must get your lightning-fast postexercise carb orgy for optimal results.

To add to this... Why has the majority of longer-term research failed to show any meaningful differences in nutrient timing relative to the resistance training bout? It's likely because the body is smarter than we give it credit for. Most people don't know that as a result of a single training bout, the receptivity of muscle to protein dosing can persist for at least 24 hours: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289204

More from earlier in the thread:

Here's what you're not seeming to grasp: the "windows" for taking advantage of nutrient timing are not little peepholes. They're more like bay windows of a mansion. You're ignoring just how long the anabolic effects are of a typical mixed meal. Depending on the size of a meal, it takes a good 1-2 hours for circulating substrate levels to peak, and it takes a good 3-6 hours (or more) for everythng to drop back down to baseline.

You're also ignoring the fact that the anabolic effects of a meal are maxed out at much lower levels than typical meals drive insulin & amino acids up to. Furthermore, you're also ignoring the body's ability of anabolic (& fat-oxidative) supercompensation when forced to work in the absence of fuels. So, metaphorically speaking, our physiology basically has the universe mapped out and you're thinking it needs to be taught addition & subtraction.

I was reading this months M&F and in one article is actually suggested to eat a handful (30 or so) of Gummy Bears after your workout. I get the idea behind it: the sugar/carbs are the best thing for recovery and fuel for muscle synthesis but is refined sugar really a good option? Of course, it says to get your protein too obviously. I've always opted for lean protein and complex carbs like oats or wheat berries but should I start tossing some sugar also? Any ideas on better options than refined candy? Beets/carrots/high GI fruit?

How big are their hands if they are saying 30 gummy bears are a handful. That seems like a package of gummy bears, not a handful.

A banana would be better. If you're going to get in carbs why not take in carbs that at least have some valid micronutrients associated.

Also, the whole PWO simple carb tends to be blown out of proportion. It is true that the carbs will help with protein delivery but the primary argument in favor of the simple carb pwo consumption is based on restoring glycogen that is lost during a workout. The reality of the matter is that unless you're on a really low carb diet, or your workout was INCREDIBLY intense (read: training for an athletic event) it's very unlikely that you depleted glycogen stores in the muscles to the point where immediate replenishiment is needed.

So if you want carbs after your workout by all means go for it... but it's not necessary. It's more important to get in some protein, especially if you workout later at night.

I was reading this months M&F and in one article is actually suggested to eat a handful (30 or so) of Gummy Bears after your workout. I get the idea behind it: the sugar/carbs are the best thing for recovery and fuel for muscle synthesis but is refined sugar really a good option? Of course, it says to get your protein too obviously. I've always opted for lean protein and complex carbs like oats or wheat berries but should I start tossing some sugar also? Any ideas on better options than refined candy? Beets/carrots/high GI fruit?

Don't take nutrition advice from magazines. Post-workout carbs, and post-workout meals in general, are usually unnecessary. See WonderPug's post above. There's no benefit in rushing to replenish muscle glycogen unless you're about to partake in additional physical activity.

You were smart to be weary of a recommendation that claims benefits to eating micronutrient-devoid food such as gummy bears. Other myths beside a post workout "anabolic window" that you might run across are to eat every few hours, avoid carbs in the evening, and not eat before bed.

hes been researching non stop since he saw this post in 2011. finally found it out

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Disclaimer: The statement above reflects that of my own opinion and in no way that of MAN Sports. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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